Boo! (TV series)

Boo!
Created by	Will Brenton
Developed by	Tell-Tale Productions for BBC Television
Voices of	Justin Fletcher Kate Harbour
Narrated by	Ashley Slater Sharon D. Clarke
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	102
Production
Running time	25 minutes approx.
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network	CBeebies Qubo Disney Junior Clan TVE Canal Panda Discovery Kids (Latin America) Treehouse TV YTV TFO
Picture format	PAL
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	4 June 2003 – 23 December 2006
External links
Website

Boo! is a children's television series shown in the United Kingdom on the CBeebies channel,^[1] and originally on BBC Two, and produced by Universal Studios. It features several cartoon characters who play a game similar to hide and seek in a variety of settings. The commentary is performed by an adult narrator and a chorus of children. The series was produced by the independent production company Tell-Tale Productions, which was also responsible for Tweenies.^[2] From 2007 to 2012, reruns of the show were broadcast in the USA on Qubo.

The series ran for a total of 104 episodes and one Christmas special and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2002-03.

At the end of the programme a song is sung, usually about matching characters or objects to their shapes or colours.

The visual style of Boo! is very distinctive, using 3D CGI with rounded shapes and cel-shading. The music and songs are generally in an early-70s funk/R&B idiom.

Characters

Boo - a pear-shaped patchwork creature with orange spiky hair. His feet are red with white spots on them. The main object of the programme is to find Boo in his various hiding places. Half-way through each episode, Boo magically adopts attributes of his surroundings (e.g. becomes "Penguin Boo" in the Antarctic). Boo cannot talk, although he whistles at the beginning of each episode and dances during every song.
Laughing Duck (voiced by Kate Harbour) - a yellow soft-toy duck, who laughs when "found". She has a red-orange beak that matches her legs and has abilities to fly and swim. In some episodes, she meets some people who happen to be employees. In the hospital, she has been found sad because her laugh is lost, but it is regained when Boo tickles her flipper.
Sleeping Bear (voiced by Justin Fletcher) - a brown teddy bear who is usually asleep, yawning or stretching when "found". His blankie is red with white-printed hearts on it. The catchphrase associated with him is "Shhh... I'm taking a nap right now."
Growling Tiger (also voiced by Justin Fletcher) - a friendly soft-toy tiger with fluffy white ears. Despite his name, he says "Roar!" (not "Growl!") when found. His associated catchphrase is "I am fierce! Run away! Run away!"

Other characters, both human and animal vary from one episode to another. The people who have speaking roles in this show are the artists, Chatty Hairdresser, Helpful Nurse, Caring Doctor, Helpful Teacher (the ice-skater), Helpful Waitress, Happy Customers (one man and one woman), Busy Chef, the woman in high stilts, the ringmaster, Careful Grownup, Graceful Teacher (the ballet dancer), Gentle Vet and Cheering Dad. The Blue Squawking Parakeet with a red crest on it appears in a birdcage (being taken home by a customer) when we are about to enter the veterinarian.

Episodes

1. Rock Pool - 4 June 2003
2. Supermarket - 11 June 2003
3. Pond - 18 June 2003
4. Art Gallery - 25 June 2003
5. Desert - 2 July 2003
6. Harbor - 9 July 2003
7. Bedroom - 16 July 2003
8. Prehistoric Land - 23 July 2003
9. Theater - 30 July 2003
10. African River - 6 August 2003
11. Cave - 13 August 2003
12. Coral Reef - 20 August 2003
13. Train Station - 27 August 2003
14. Canadian River - 4 September 2003
15. Indian Jungle - 11 September 2003
16. Café - 18 September 2003
17. Deep Blue Sea - 25 September 2003
18. Castle - 1 October 2003
19. African Waterhole - 7 October 2003
20. Kitchen - 14 October 2003
21. Arctic - 21 October 2003
22. Fun Fair - 28 October 2003
23. Space - 4 November 2003
24. Garden - 11 November 2003
25. Hospital - 18 November 2003
26. Woods at Night - 25 November 2003

Season 2 Episodes

27. Library - 5 February 2004
28. Canadian Mountain - 12 February 2004
29. Australian Bush - 19 February 2004
30. Swimming Pool - 26 February 2004
31. Forest Floor - 22 April 2004
32. Circus - 12 March 2004
33. Swamp - 19 March 2004
34. Fun House - 26 March 2004
35. Playgroup - 2 April 2004
36. Antarctic - 9 April 2004
37. Ski Resort - 16 April 2004
38. Jungle - 25 April 2004
39. Farm - 30 April 2004
40. Bathroom - 13 May 2004
41. Park - 20 May 2004
42. Zoo - 27 May 2004
43. English Riverbank - 4 June 2004
44. American Ranch - 11 June 2004
45. Bamboo Forest - 18 June 2004
46. American Prairie - 25 June 2004
47. Junior Gym - 2 July 2004
48. Meadow - 9 July 2004
49. Tropical Island - 16 July 2004
50. City at Night - 23 July 2004
51. Pirate Ship - 30 July 2004
52. City Farm - 6 August 2004

Season 3 Episodes

53. Fire Station - 1 March 2005
54. Dentist - 7 March 2005
55. The Pyramids - 14 March 2005
56. Athletics Track - 21 March 2005
57. Airfield - 28 March 2005
58. Kite Festival - 4 April 2005
59. Ballet - 11 April 2005
60. Veterinarian - 18 April 2005
61. Car Factory - 25 April 2005
62. Pottery - 2 May 2005
63. Carpenter's Workshop - 9 May 2005
64. Sports Day - 16 May 2005
65. Cheese Market - 23 May 2005
66. Tennis Court - 30 May 2005
67. Post Office - 6 June 2005
68. Diwali Party - 16 September 2005
69. Fishing Dock - 20 June 2005
70. Fancy Dress Shop - 27 June 2005
71. Garden Center - 4 July 2005
72. Police Station - 11 July 2005
73. Pop Concert - 18 July 2005
74. Chinese New Year Party - 1 February 2006
75. Tea Plantation - 3 August 2005
76. Basketball Court - 10 August 2005
77. Hairdressers - 17 August 2005
78. Ice Skating Rink - 24 August 2005

Season 4 Episodes:

79. Bus Station - 16 February 2006
80. Chicken Farm - 23 February 2006
81. Street Market - 2 March 2006
82. Bakery - 9 March 2006
83. Building Site - 16 March 2006
84. Baseball Stadium - 23 March 2006
85. Children's Party - 30 March 2006
86. Football Stadium - 6 April 2006
87. Surfer Beach - 13 April 2006
88. Race Track - 20 April 2006
89. Roman Villa - 27 April 2006
90. Orange Grove - 4 May 2006
91. Venetian Canal - 23 May 2006
92. Play - 30 May 2006
93. Crazy Golf - 6 June 2006
94. Galapagos Islands - 13 June 2006
95. Luau - 20 June 2006
96. House Being Decorated - 24 June 2006
97. Seaside - 27 June 2006
98. Halloween - 30 October 2006
99. Campsite - 10 July 2006
100. Film Set - 7 September 2006
101. Snowy Garden - 8 December 2006
102. Rainforest Canopy - 23 December 2006

Networks that air Boo!

Italy: Disney Junior
Spain: Clan TVE, Canal Panda
Latin America: Discovery Kids (Latin America)
United States: Qubo
United Kingdom: CBeebies
Canadian English: Treehouse TV, YTV, Playtime Krumeater
Canadian French: TFO, Disney Junior France
Germany: Disney Junior

Production credits

The show was created by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan, who have created and produced Fun Song Factory, BB3B, and Jim Jam and Sunny in addition to Tweenies. Brenton also designed the characters.

The series was directed by Mark Taylor and produced by Teresa Reed. Animation was handled by the Bristol-based studio A Productions.

The voices of Growling Tiger and Sleeping Bear were provided by Justin Fletcher; the voice of Laughing Duck was supplied by Kate Harbour. The children's voices were supplied by a group of junior school children including Daniel Hardoon, Franklin Taylor Moore (son of Mark Taylor), Corey Lewis and Laura Reed. The male narrator is ex-Freak Power singer Ashley Slater and the female narrator is Sharon D. Clarke.

The original design was created by Rebecca Elgar, a children's author and illustrator.

Broadcast

"Boo!" can be seen in the United Kingdom on CBeebies (formerly on CBeebies on BBC2),^[1] formerly in the United States on Qubo's digital channel until 2012.^[3] (with two episodes in a half-hour format), and Australia's ABC.^[4] "Boo!" is also available in Canada on the French educational public broadcaster TFO.^[5]

References

1 2 "Boo!". CBeebies Grownups. BBC. Archived from the original on 2009-12-27. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
↑ "Tell-Tale's Boo! set for summer slot on CBBC". Broadcast (magazine). 22 May 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
↑ "Boo! Episode Guide". qubo. Archived from the original on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
↑ "Boo!". ABC Kids TV guide. ABC. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
↑ "TFO official site". TFO.

External links

Variety story from MIPCOM 2002: BBC goes 'Boo!'

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